LINGERIE THROUGH THE YEARS

I can't remember the last time I wore a "proper" bra. I have been living in nursing bras since I was around 12 weeks pregnant and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon now that my little monkey is here. However, it did get me thinking about lingerie styles over the years and what women would wear during those days they would need to nurse their children or do a spot of exercise.

Nursing and sports bras actually didn't exist until the most recent years, so it must have made things quite difficult for women many, many years ago. With body positivity being a major factor of the 21st century, it's hard to not see lingerie everywhere nowadays. You only have to drive past a billboard, open up page 3 in the newspaper or open up Instagram and you're likely to see a pair of boobs in a sexy bra.

Let's look at the evolution of women's lingerie and how much it has changed over the years.

1820 - Corsets are invented and designed to hide a woman's shape

1850 - Scrap the above! Another corset is invented, but this time to enhance the natural silhouette of a woman's body

1860 - Hoop skirts are worn to enhance the size of dresses

1890 - Frilly bloomers are everywhere and are usually worn with 'wasp waist' corsets. These usually made women faint and broke many ribs in the process!

1893 - Lace up back corsets are introduced to make it easier to tighten them. Shortly after, corsets with hooks on the back are invented so women could do them up without any help

1910 - The first bra is introduced to women by Mary Phelps. This was made from sewing together two handkerchiefs and tied together with ribbon. Inventive!

1920 - As we move into the flapper girl days, clothes get smaller and slightly more revealing. Flimsy and silky slips are worn underneath short dresses with knee length stockings to show some leg. Oooh!

1925 - Girdles and corsets are very much still around, but are now back to the beginning and made to slim and flatten the hips. This hid womanly curves and flattened the chest

1930 - Shorter girdles are now made and supportive bras have started to be manufactured. Within three years, the "full fashion double support" bra is on the market for bigger busted ladies

1940 - With rations during WW1, women start to paint on lines on the backs of their legs to create the illusions of stockings

1944 - Cup and band sizes are now a thing and adopted by lingerie manufacturers, Warners

1946 - Underwire bras are available now there's less metal shortages during WW2. The first strapless bra was also invented during this year. Quite a revolutionary year!

1949 - Three years later and adhesive bras are now a thing. The popular "bullet" bra is about to be introduced to women and becomes a fashion hit during the glamorous 50s. Bra enhancers or "chicken fillets" as we know them are also available for women to buy

1952 - With glamour pin-up icons everywhere such as Marilyn and Bettie Page, it's to no wonder that seamless stockings become a popular choice in women's fashion

1960 - The revolution of women's rights see women celebrating and protesting for freedom. A part of this rebellion was "the burn of the bra"

1967 - Ruffles, frills and baby dolls are a top hit amongst young women

1970 - Control panties are now a thing and a popular choice for women wanting to feel a little more confident

1977 - Lingerie brand, Victoria's Secret is now a thing and within a year, sultry and playful colours and textures are seen on lingerie everywhere. Alongside these are provocative styles which see women not shying away from their bodies

1987 - Lycra!

1993 - Fashion goes a bit backwards and it becomes a trend to wear your underwear visibly underneath your outfit. Think Britney Spears!

1994 - Wonderbra says hello to women

2000 - Big panties are gone and women brace thongs and g-strings. The smaller the better!

2009 - It is now fashionable to wear underwear as part of your outfit. Bralettes are seen worn underneath blazers and rake up 20,000 Instagram likes within an hour with #fashion

2015 - Sports and casual lingerie is worn by celebrities and bloggers as part of daily outfits. Most commonly seen is brand Calvin Klein

2018 - Body positivity movement is everywhere and for good reason!

It is so strange but exciting to see how far lingerie has come. It's also evident that certain styles make a re-appearance so it's got me wondering... will bloomers ever be a thing again?!

Disclaimer: Collaboration post